Episode 139: Jimmy Arias - The forehand that changed tennis
Jimmy Arias is a former world number 5.
At the age of 15, he became the youngest person to achieve a world ranking, and went onto win 5 ATP singles titles and the 1981 French Open Mixed Doubles.
During his career he has had wins over Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash and Goran Ivanisevic.
Jimmy Arias´name is synonymous with the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, now known as the IMG Academy. He was one of the original students at the academy when he started working with Nick in 1978 at just 13-years-old. In 2018, Jimmy became the Director of Tennis there.
Jimmy´s forehand revolutionised the way the stroke was taught. His Father, an electrical engineer from Cuba, came up with new technique to generate more power, and Nick Bollettieri later adopted it as a model at his Academy.
After retiring from tennis, Jimmy Arias became a commentator for ESPN and the Tennis Channel, and as you will find out in this episode, he is a great storyteller!
Episode Highlights include:-
- How his relationship with his father shaped his tennis career.
- How the famous Arias forehand came about.
- Why he made the decision to work with Nick Bollettieri
- His time as an ¨original¨ at the IMG Academy.
- His inner belief from a young age.
- How he changed his game after being diagnosed with Mono.
- Find out which tennis legends he found the most difficult to play!
- What frustrates him about the current game, and what has changed since his era.
An entertaining episode, enjoy!
Links Mentioned in this Episode:-
Episode 100: Nick Bollettieri - The Godfather
Connect with Jimmy Arias:-
Twitter: @ariastennis
Instragram: @jimmyariastennis
Website: www.jimmyarias.com
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